July 2014 - case study 2

The ambulance crews were responding to a diabetic hypo patient who was unresponsive. On arrival they were met by the patient’s carer; there was a language barrier but that was not an issue as it was obvious that the patient required urgent medical treatment. The carer was understandably concerned, but was causing an obstruction to the crew; they could see that the patient needed urgent drug intervention. The crew made a decision to transport the patient to hospital as he was not responding as he normally does. On transferring the patient onto the trolley cot in the ambulance the patient’s son arrived on scene and informed the crew of the amount of alcohol the patient had consumed. At no point did the ambulance crew shout angrily at the patient or the carer; they were concentrating solely on the patient’s treatment. The patient’s condition can become very serious very quickly if left untreated.